What does mesmerise mean?
To mesmerise someone is to hold their attention completely, leaving them spellbound by what they see, hear, or experience. The word is especially effective for describing an audience absorbed by a performance, a reader gripped by a story, or a viewer captivated by a striking scene. It suggests fascination powerful enough to interrupt ordinary awareness, and it is often used in the passive form "be mesmerised by". Although mesmerise is not limited to formal writing, it has a somewhat vivid and literary quality that makes it more expressive than a general word such as interest or attract. The related noun mesmerism originally referred to the practice and theories associated with the 18th-century German physician Franz Anton Mesmer, while the adjective mesmeric describes something that enchants or holds attention. Today, these words retain the sense of extraordinary fascination, even when their historical connection with Mesmer is no longer important.
verbTo attract and hold someone's attention so completely that they become spellbound. To enchant or fascinate.
- To captivate someone so completely that they become absorbed in what they are seeing, hearing, or experiencing.
"The storyteller mesmerised the children with her vivid descriptions of distant lands."
"The musician's effortless performance mesmerised the entire audience."
"She was mesmerised by the slow movement of the clouds across the horizon."
Mesmerise comes from Franz Mesmer, whose controversial theories of animal magnetism gave us a lasting word for being utterly spellbound.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does mesmerise come from?
Mesmerise was formed in the 1770s from the name Mesmer and the suffix -ize. It refers to Franz Anton Mesmer, the German physician whose theories of animal magnetism gave rise to mesmerism. The word's modern figurative sense developed from the idea of exerting a compelling, almost magnetic influence on another person's attention, and it is related to mesmeric and mesmerist.
Related word forms
How mesmerise is actually used
The standard British spelling is mesmerise, while the US spelling is mesmerize. The verb is neutral in register but often conveys a strong emotional response, especially when used in the passive construction "be mesmerised by".
Easily confused with mesmerise
Mesmerize is the American spelling of the same verb; the two forms have identical meanings and usage.